


The Only Choice

by brokenhighways



Category: DCU (Comics), Smallville, Superman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Angsty Schmoop, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:40:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28447803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenhighways/pseuds/brokenhighways
Summary: Lois asks Clark what happened with Lana. (Set during Season 10)
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane
Comments: 7
Kudos: 16
Collections: Clois (Smallville)





	The Only Choice

**Author's Note:**

> I recently rewatched the Arc of Suck/Shame and still can't understand WHY the writers unleashed it on us. So, here's a terrible fic. :D

It began the way it  _ always _ did. Lois was watching Clark from across the desk, chewing at her pen instead of  _ asking _ him the question playing on her mind. Luckily for her, he'd used his superspeed three times to prevent her from swallowing pen ink. He picked up on the sound of the cap cracking  _ again _ and finally took the initiative. 

"What's on your mind, Lois?"

"You and Lana."

Clark froze. "Lana?"

"Yeah. You know. Pretty, perfect, amazing Lana who probably pooped rainbows and candies when she wasn't marrying her ex-boyfriend's ex-best friend or taking her own death."

Clark narrowed his eyes. "I thought you and her were friends?"

"We  _ were _ . In the end, I didn't know her all that well."

"Oh." Clark had come to discover that he felt the same way. Not that he'd ever really  _ known _ Lana. Back then, he was always busy trying to get close to her to stop and see who she really was. 

"Can we skip the awkward silences and get to the part where you tell me what happened?"

"Uh…"

Clark had known this particular conversation was coming. They'd exchanged declarations of love, and Lois knew he was The Blur - which he was still getting used to. It was inevitable that there had to be another hurdle to overcome. Plus, Lois was there when his relationship fell apart and when it was shoved in a coffin and nailed shut by Lex's Prometheus project. 

"If you say ' _ it's complicated _ ' I'm going to throw myself off the roof."

"...You know I'd catch you."

Lois visibly battled with a smile, but Clark knew he was still in the hot seat. It turned out that fate, an  _ almost _ marriage and saving the world didn't magically make them the perfect couple. They still had certain areas they never ventured into and Lana was one of them. Clark chose to leave it in the past, and Lois usually understood. She'd been more open about her past relationships, but Clark didn't know  _ how _ she did it. 

However, it was becoming clear that something about his past relationship with Lana bothered her enough to niggle away at her conscience now and then. 

"What I'd like is if you were honest, Clark. About everything. Now that I... know your secret and all things Kryptonian, I want to know what happened between you and Lana. Especially after what happened at Chloe's wedding."

Clark sighed, taking a moment to revisit that fateful period. It was the day after Lana left town for good, and Clark felt like he was waking up from a trance. For a moment, everything had felt so familiar. If he closed his eyes hard enough, he could pretend he was that kid again. The one who was in love with Lana and not at all concerned about his greater destiny.

Instead, he was wondering about Dax-Ur and blue Kryptonite and why he never considered it when Lana was here. He was wondering why  _ Lois _ was still on his mind, picking away at the edges like she belonged there. He was wondering why all he wanted to do was forget. Rewind time to the day of Chloe's wedding and keep his distance from Lana. 

They'd both seen the Prometheus suit as another way for Lex to keep them apart, but... they didn't need Lex's help. Clark loved a version of Lana that didn't exist and she always saw herself as inferior compared to him. Her comment about being his equal had helped him see that. Even if they'd found a way, she'd always try to measure up to him, always remind him he was different and... he didn't want that. 

In a way, he was glad she was gone and that he couldn't be around her. It only ever seemed to bring him pain and hurt her and although he wasn't in love with her anymore, she didn't deserve that either. She deserved to find happiness.

Back in the present, all Clark could say was, "Lana and I went our separate ways."

Lois peered at him closely. "By  _ choice _ or due to circumstances out of your control."

It was a good question and one that Clark was glad they were addressing now. If only he had the right words. Where was Chloe when he needed her?

"She... wanted to have power. Power beyond anything the human body should be able to withstand. Lex Luthor kind of power and she got it. After his accident, he built this power suit. Prometheus. That's what he called it. Lana tracked it down and had his researchers put it on her."

"I find it hard to believe that Lex just let her take it."

"Let's just say she was determined. It turns out that Lex kidnapped her once she woke up from her coma. Once she escaped, I guess... she did what she had to do."

"Wait. She  _ escaped _ and never once told you what happened?"

"... sharing deep dark secrets was never really our thing," Clark said, feeling weight down by the understatement. 

"Would it be rude of me to ask you to do your whole roadrunner things and get me a shot of brandy?" Lois frowned. "A power suit? Really? Did Little Miss Sunshine want to join your merry band of heroes?"

Lana's thing was more humanitarian aid, but last Clark heard, she was having some issues with the suit. He trusted that Chloe was handling it, and focused on his mission - protecting Earth and being with Lois. 

"I'll explain in detail later, but this suit came with a caveat Lana didn't realise - it absorbed Kryptonite. The green kind."

"Wow…" Lois processed it slowly, swallowing before she added. "So, that's why she left?"

"She was on her own path, Lois. With or without the suit. Her own destiny. It didn't include me."

"Let's say, she didn't have this power suit and she'd stuck around. Where would  _ we _ be?"

"Lois…"

"This isn't... it's not jealousy. I was trying to understand what happened so that... the same thing doesn't happen to us…"

"...And?"

Lois narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think there's more?"

"I know you, Lois."

"Fine. When I was in Star City with Jimmy, Chloe and Oliver were real cagey when I asked about you and Lana. So when I came back and she was gone, I didn't know what to think. You came to pick me up and I asked you for coffee and then--"

"I didn't show up."

"Yeah. And I sat there for an hour thinking 'if this was Lana, he'd be here'. And I told myself I'd never be a second choice. The backup girl. The girl a guy marries when we both turn forty. You know the contingency plan. And then you came back and I couldn't switch my feelings off and everything just moved so quickly and... I don't know. There's always a voice that thinks maybe we're only destined to be together because there was a glitch in the Matrix."

"Lois, you're the  _ only _ person who's ever challenged me or treated me as an equal instead of trying to figure me out. Yes, it took me a while to see what was in front of me, but you're not a second choice. You're the  _ only _ choice. You always will be."

"I don't know, Smallville. What if she got the Kryptonite drained out of her body and came back. What would you do?"

"Give her a hug." Clark grinned. "And tell her about you and how amazing you are."

"It's just that you had that whole epic romance with her and I'm me. I'm into sports. I like monster truck rallies. I drink six-packs. I'd pick a donut over a salad any day. I'm loud. I'm  _ Lois _ . I’m not perfect."

"You're perfect to me."

"Nobody's perfect, Smallville."

Clark bit back a sigh, knowing that this was probably his fault for not being more forthcoming.

"Look, what I had with Lana was different. The same way what you had with Oliver was different."

"Well, yeah, in his case my only competition was his bimbos of the week."

"Did Chloe say something to you about Lana?" Clark furrowed his brow. He didn't understand where this was coming from. 

"I might have asked her... when I found out you were The Blur, a lot of things made sense. Like the whole back and forth relationship, but... she knew. It was obvious she knew, so... I wanted to know what happened."

Clark could hear faint calls for help in the distance and he breathed a sigh of relief - he needed a break from this conversation and if he took a detour to Watchtower... well, it was just a coincidence. 

"I have to go, but... I'll be right back."

+

Tess Mercer was at a conference in Wichita, leaving Chloe in charge of Watchtower temporarily. It was just as well, Clark needed to know what she'd told Lois about Lana. 

"Watchtower to Impulse--Clark?" Chloe flinched when Clark sped into the building. "Hold on, Bart. Just a second. Clark, what are you doing here?"

Clark didn't bother with any formalities. "What did you tell Lois about Lana?"

Chloe tapped at her keyboard furiously, barely giving him a second glance. "Hi, Clark. How are you? I'm great by the way."

"Chloe…"

She finally turned to him, her expression serious and closed off. "I told Lois the truth. That Lana couldn't handle who you are."

"... now she thinks that it's the only reason why I'm not with her."

"Look, I admit, my protective urge came out when I was talking to Lois, but this was going to come up one day. You spent so long caught up over Lana and now suddenly you're out of the honeymoon phase with Lois and probably doing that whole stoic silent thing. A gal is going to have questions."

"I'm not doing the stoic silent thing!"

"You better not be."

"Chloe! After being friends for so long, I'd like to think you know me better than that."

"Clark, it's because I know you that I'm wary. How many times did you jerk Lois around as Clark  _ and  _ The Blur? She's entitled to a freak out here and there."

"I know that. And I promise you that my feelings haven't changed. I love Lois. I always will."

Chloe grinned. "Okay. I'll dial back the overprotective mode. What's going on? Why all the questions about Lana?"

"How do I tell her that what I felt for Lana is different? That I'm not going to run off with her if she comes back."

"Ah." Chloe shrugged. "You just have to show her and above all, be honest with her. I know your first instinct is always to protect, but sometimes keeping things from your loved ones has the opposite effect."

+

Lois was still sitting at her desk when Clark sped back into the office. 

"Nice of you to drop back in, Smallville."

"I never told Lana about my secret. Or Chloe. Or Pete. Or my parents. Or  _ anyone _ , but I told you. And I had no idea you even knew! With Chloe, there were a lot of suggestive hints. Pete? Well, that's a long story. My parents knew before I could make sense of it. Lana... she would get mad at me for keeping it secret, Lex was downright obsessed and then there's you. 

"All the  _ weird _ things, all the coincidences and you've always treated me the same. You've never judged me or pushed me to tell you my secret. I'd have to be an idiot to pick anyone else over you. The person who understands me the most. All of me. Lana only got Clark Kent, the guy who did his best to be normal. You got... everything. Kal-El. The real me. Talking to you as The Blur…you made me into a better hero. A better man. And I'm sorry that I made you doubt yourself for even a second."

Lois blinked. "That is the most I've heard you say in one go.  _ Ever. _ Is Chloe feeding you lines? Did she give you an earpiece thing?"

"Lois."

"Sorry. I guess I just...I always envied how much you loved Lana. At first anyway. Towards the end, it seemed like she made you miserable and I... I would hate it if we ended up like that."

"We won't."

"How do you know?"

Clark thought about the time Lois told the world his story before he used the Legion ring to undo it. Or the time Jor-El showed him what a world would be like without him in it. The time when he and Lois were on red kryptonite. When they got trapped in the fortress, and when he was so lost in rage after Alicia died that he almost crossed a line.

"... because in all the time I've known you, you've always accepted me. You've always trusted me and I trust you too. As long as we have that...there's nothing we can't face. Together."

Lois tried to fight her smile, but she lost the battle. "Hallmark must have wept the day the Daily Planet snatched you up. You have so much greeting card potential."

It was her way of saying that she believed him and that her worries were settled, although Clark suspected it would come up again and he swore he'd be there to silence her doubts. At least until he proved she didn't need to have any. 

"I love you, too, Lois."

"Sorry to go all emo Lois on you. I...I was going through some things at the farm and I found this and... I don't know, everything was so much simpler then. I know how much you wanted to  _ feel  _ normal."

Lois slid over a picture. A folded over shot of Clark and Lana. It seemed so far away now, but…

"Like you said Lois, normal is overrated."

"I stand by it. Why focus on the past when you can embrace the future?" Lois deflated. "Still…"

Clark frowned, finally detecting something he'd been missing all this time. "Wait. Are you having doubts about  _ us _ ?"

"No." 

"Lois, I've heard you answer the mailman saying 'sign here please' with an entire speech. Care to elaborate?"

"Dammit. This conversation was a lot better when I was projecting onto you. Fine. Maybe I'm worried that  _ I'll _ be Lana 2.0. What if I wake up one day and I want to be a superwoman?"

"You're Lois Lane, the star reporter. I think you're a force of nature all by yourself and if anyone can handle me, and my... lifestyle... It's you."

"Okay…" Lois nodded slowly. "You're right. I'm Lois Lane. I've got this. I can handle it. And on that note, I had a question. The diary you gave me mentioned that you came here in a spaceship. Can I see it?"

Clark froze - now  _ this _ he hadn’t anticipated. "You want to see the ship?"

"Things have been so hectic since we found about Darkseid, and then the whole VRA thing that I never got a chance to ask, but yeah. I'd love to see it."

"It's gone."

"What do you mean, gone? Like Kryptonian hoodoo gone, or your father left it out in a thunderstorm and it got rusty  _ gone _ ."

"... more like I destroyed it  _ gone _ ."

"Okay. This I need to hear more about. But first, you need to superspeed us home. It's past  _ midnight _ and I left my stash of maple donuts there. Something tells me I'm going to need them while you tell me this story."

This was the reason why Clark knew they'd be okay. There was no judgement or admonishment - well, not yet - she was just ready to listen, to hear his side, and he couldn't ask for more. 

He didn't want  _ more _ . 

He just wanted Lois -- and as he cradled her in his arms and took off for the farm, he silently thanked whoever was responsible for entwining their fates. 

  
  



End file.
